Take care in the sun

Article published on 5 May 2014

The sun can be your friend. Or not?

South Africa has a beautifully sunny climate that just begs for you to be outdoors. But too much exposure to the suns rays can do damage to your skin. The incidence of skin cancer is relatively high in South Africa, and while it is treatable it can also do untold damage. Prevention is the best recourse.

Let's take a look at the various aspects related to the sun and the benefits it offers and also look at ways we of preventing the harm the sun can do.

The sun and your eyes.

Over exposure to the sun and it's UV rays can cause damage to the eye through inflamation of the cornea. The UV radiation is also one of the factors in the acceleration of cataract growth. A pair of quality sunglasses will not only cut the glare of the sun, making seeing around you easier it will also filter out much the suns UV rays, protecting your eyes.

What are UV rays?

Ultra Violet rays form part of the light spectrum and are divided into two sections. UVA and UVB.
Both UVA and UVB are in higher concentration in South Africa and also in Australia due to the hole in the ozone layer which would usually filter out the harmful rays.

UVB are the broader ultra violet rays and we are inclined to use them to our advantage for 'tan' that they leave us with. Most of us will know the feeling of sunburn and its painful unpleasant after effects, this is caused by over exposure to UVB rays.

Unlike UVB rays UVA rays penetrate deeper below the surface of the skin and cause damage at a cellular level which in turn can present as one of the different types of melanoma(skin cancer)

What can you do?

Just like you would wear a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes you need to wear something to protect your skin from the sun. A UV sunscreen will help to filter out the suns rays but only for a limited time, and based on the strength of this sunscreen the quality of the protection will be limited.

Sun-sleeves

As an added protection the appearance of sun-sleeves has come as a blessing. These sleeves cover your arms as if you were wearing a long pair of gloves, blocking out a large percentage of UV rays and protecting your skin from sun damage. Visit sunsleeves.co.za and check out their range.
Sunsleeves are not only for out door enthusiasts but will definitely be of benefit to gardeners, long distance drivers (think car tan on one arm) and cyclists and canoests amongst others.